With the technology boom of the nineties well and truly
over ‘user groups’ became the first casualties as businesses looked to cut back
on expenditure. Most ‘user groups’ were looked upon as an excuse for an IT
Managers ‘Free Lunch’. The meetings were a mixture of resellers trying to sell
new products/versions or add-ons and the more vocal of the attendees taking the
opportunity to moan about specific issues un-related to most other users. The
result was a fairly negative experience and resellers who offered ‘FREE’ user
groups soon dropped them.
As a user of Sage for over 7 years and a member of my
reseller ‘user group’ (now defunct) what I needed was contact with other users
that were experiencing the same problems as me, but with constructive help for
me to get over or even round them. Responses from both author and reseller are
often ‘That is fixed in the next version’ or ‘it will be fixed in the next
version’. If I do not have the finance/resource/requirement to go to the next
version that does not make my problem go away. My belief was that I couldn’t be
the only person experiencing this problem. In the same vain I am sure I have
overcome other problems other are struggling with today.
When I first
looked at joining Sage User Network (and it took them 18 months to persuade me)
my concern was that it would be the same old round of meetings where people
would be trying to sell me something or topics that would have no relevance to
my particular system.
Back in November I accepted
an invitation to go along and discuss with Sage User Network what I expected
from a ‘user group’ my preferred terminology would be ‘user support group’
because I believe that’s what it should be.
What I found in November was that the people who accepted that
invitation were of the same mind, to make the meetings more constructive with
real case studies by real users, with the opportunity for discussion and the
chance to ask questions of an on hand Sage expert in that field. A web site where I can ask other members if
they are experiencing my particular problem and how they resolved it or failing
that pass it onto Sage through Sage User Network for a formal response. Where I
can be kept up
to date with the latest information regarding the product and others that may
benefit me.
Most importantly Sage User
Network offers me a forum where I can comment and question independently of my
reseller or Sage. Where I can become part of a collective
voice that will have a direct link to Sage to offer constructive comments for
improvements within the Sage range of products. That collective voice will have a greater
effect that any one of us individually. The bigger the membership the bigger
the voice…..
The mix of membership
packages Sage User Network has devised allows me to decide how many individual
members I can send to meetings to gain the best cost effective benefit from my
subscription.
The top Sage User Network
subscription provides you with a year of help, information, advice and contact
with other users for the cost of approx 1 day’s consultancy with your reseller.
Sage User Network have changed my opinion of ‘user groups’ I am sure they will
change yours as well.